Does the American system bear any resemblances to Rome during its imperial period? Paul Krugman, who has cheered virtually every step toward empire (we're not talking foreign policy here; we mean empire as in a system dominated by a single man or a single centralized government), has the gall to be concerned all of a sudden. This is episode 66 of my sister podcast, Contra Krugman.

Documentary filmmaker Cassie Jaye began her project on the men's rights movement as an unsympathetic, almost uncomprehending observer. After letting representatives of that movement tell their story, she had the honesty to admit there was merit in their position.

Shari Spivack, president of the Second Amendment Women Shooting Club, discusses gun rights from the point of view of someone who trains people in firearms usage rather than engages in political activism. Some people should probably stuff envelopes, I guess, but without people like Shari, what have we got?

Michael Rectenwald, a professor of liberal studies at New York University who describes himself as a lifelong left-liberal, took to Twitter not long ago to express his disgust with political correctness, safe spaces, and SJW intimidation. You can imagine the response from those tolerant lovers of diversity. But he had the last laugh.

Is libertarianism all about the Nonaggression Principle, or are there supplementary ideas a libertarian must also hold because they uphold the free society? I used to criticize left-libertarians who believed true libertarians had to be feminists, egalitarians, etc. But now I wonder: although someone is indeed a libertarian if he believes in the NAP, might there indeed be other important ingredients in the free society? Entrepreneur and blogger C. Jay Engel joins me to discuss.

For a long time, nobody wanted to discuss the Depression of 1920-21, since it reversed itself without fiscal or monetary stimulus. But after a few other scholars and I started making hay with this example, Keynesian critics crawled out of the woodwork. My guest today responds, and vindicates our view.

G.P. Manish discusses what the Austrian School of economics can contribute to the debate over what the developing world should do to become wealthy. We also discuss India's recent demonetization of its 500 and 1000-rupee notes.

On a previous episode I spoke to Jordan Peterson, a professor of psychology at the University of Toronto, about what he endured after refusing to use strange new pronouns to accommodate new "gender identities." So I thought: why not discuss the guy's actual work, rather than just his travails? In today's episode we talk about "self-authoring," a program of personal improvement and self-knowledge that has had staggeringly good results.

The perverse outcomes of Venezuelan socialism have had an interesting and perhaps unexpected side effect: they've given a shot in the arm to Bitcoin, the nonstate currency and payment system. Jim Epstein tells us the surprising story.

Actor and presidential speechwriter Ben Stein thinks secession talk is "silly," and then proceeds to repeat the usual non-arguments against it. I'm by myself in this episode, responding to what Ben had to say.

Cody Wilson created intense controversy in 2013 when his company published plans online for the Liberator, a functioning pistol that could be produced with a 3D printer. By popular demand, he joins me to talk about his experiences and his outlook.

We keep reading of horror stories involving parents being harassed and punished by the state for reasons that seem ridiculous to normal people. My guest today, who heads the National Association of Parents, is fighting back.